Reaffirming the Original Intent of Declaration of Independence by Mackubin Owens June 15 in Bristol
Mackubin Owens to speak on reaffirming the original intent of Declaration of Independence
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our American society, politicians, and the media have largely lost sight of what it means to have a republican or “representative” form of government designed to preserve the inalienable and enumerated rights guaranteed to us by the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, as originally envisioned by the founding fathers.
Dr. Owens was guest of Mike Stenhouse on his June 14 In The Dugout podcast, which can be viewed here.
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How the progressive view has led to the problems with government that we face today will be the subject of an address by Mackubin Owens on Thursday, June 15 at 7:00PM at the VFW Post #237 (850 Hope St) in Bristol.
The event is free and open to the public.
Hosted by the Bristol County Concerned Citizens (BCCC), Dr Owens is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The title of his address is “Do We Still ‘Hold These Truths’?: The Eternal Meaning of the Declaration of Independence.”
In a close scrutiny of the thinking behind our country’s foundation as a republican form of government, Dr Owens underscores the importance of reaffirming the founders’ original intention in crafting the Declaration of Independence.
In a republican form of government, the power is held by the people through their elected representatives within the confines of the Constitution and with strict adherence to the rule of law.
Dr Owens notes that President Abraham Lincoln also recognized the importance of preserving this republican form of government. “He contended that this was the real thing to be preserved, because only republican government is capable of protecting the rights and liberties of the people,” Dr Owens said.
“But the founders’ view—as well as that of Lincoln—is today largely ignored, if not demeaned,” Dr Owens said, “the result of the revolution in political thought effected by progressives in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries.”
“Progressives have effectively replaced liberty with “efficiency” and the concept of “rights” with prescriptive entitlements,” he said.
Dr Owens said his address was especially significant this time of year. “What do Americans celebrate on the Fourth of July?” he asked. “The anniversary of declaring our independence from Great Britain, of course, but there is something deeper, the Constitution as the means for implementing a republic based on the equality and consent of a self-governing people.”
Previously editor of Orbis: FPRI’s Journal of World Affairs, Dr Owens was dean of academic affairs and professor at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C., professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College in Newport, editor-in-chief of the quarterly defense journal Strategic Review and adjunct professor of international relations at Boston University.
Dr. Owens is the author of numerous books on Abraham Lincoln, US military and foreign policy. He is co-editor of the textbook, Strategy and Force Planning, now in its fourth edition. He is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and GoLocalProv.
His articles have appeared in numerous publications including International Security, Joint Force Quarterly, The Weekly Standard, National Review, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor; The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times, The New York Post and the Providence Journal.
Before joining the faculty of the War College, Dr. Owens served as National Security Adviser to Senator Bob Kasten, Republican of Wisconsin and Director of Legislative Affairs for the Nuclear Weapons Programs of the Department of Energy during the Reagan Administration.
Dr. Owens is also a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam, where as an infantry platoon and company commander in 1968-1969, he was wounded twice and awarded the Silver Star medal. He retired as a Colonel in 1994.
He earned his Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Dallas, a Master of Arts in Economics from Oklahoma University, and his BA from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has taught at the University of Rhode Island, the University of Dallas, Catholic University, Ashland University of Ohio, and the Marine Corps’ School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW).
Among other roles, he was a visiting lecturer at Amherst College and senior visiting fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses. He is the recipient of the Andrew Goodpaster Prize for his book US Civil-Military Relations after 9/11 and was the 2013 Ira Eaker Distinguished Lecturer at the Air Force Academy.
BCCC is a local organization that advocates for traditional values and common sense, and includes members from the Republican, Democratic, Independent, Libertarian and unaffiliated parties. Its chairman is Tony Rego.
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